Considering getting my son a gaming PC for Xmas - Help please.

Queen-Mise

As the title says I am considering getting my son a PC for xmas - specifically for gaming.

Any suggestions or advice please would be really appreciated.

Am I better off getting one built? Is it an automatic rip-off to even consider going near a shop?

What kind of specs would I need for a gaming PC? I know a little bit - but not really enough to make a definitive decision without some help.

Thanks in advance.

thenightrider

Build all the way. What is your budget and what games would he be playing ?

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

Queen-Mise

I was looking at this...

Are the specs good enough on this to be gaming PC?

http://www.currys.ie/Product/HP-Omni-1201110-20andquot-AllinOne-PC/313244/7.24

Intel® Pentium® G630 (2.7 GHz, 5 GT/s, 3 MB L3 cache memory)
RAM
4 GB DDR3 (1 x 4 GB) DDR3 Supports up to 8GB DDR3 memory
Intel HD Graphics Integrated
Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Shouldn't the graphics card have its own dedicated RAM - is shared RAM upto 8GB enough?

theteal

It's integrated, it doesn't have a graphics card. Nobody will be recommending that as a gaming pc

Answer the below questions and you'll should all the answers you need here

1. What is your budget? [€xxx]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.]

Queen-Mise

thenightrider wrote: »

Build all the way. What is your budget and what games would he be playing ?

I am going to start him off with Minecraft. It seems like a good game as it is not just a straight shoot-em-up. He loves stuff like Assassins Creed, Modern Warfare. He has just hit the stage of being obsessed with weaponry :rolleyes:

He is 11 years year old, so if I build a PC he will have it for the next few years when he will be gaming a good bit.

Price wise - I am going to have to get everything, as in, a computer table & chair for his room, the monitor also. I'd spend upto 1000 if I HAD to - if I was pretty guarenteed the PC would be good enough for the next 4/5 years.

Is that feasible?

Alexidium

Queen-Mise wrote: »

I was looking at this...

Are the specs good enough on this to be gaming PC?

http://www.currys.ie/Product/HP-Omni-1201110-20andquot-AllinOne-PC/313244/7.24




Shouldn't the graphics card have its own dedicated RAM - is shared RAM upto 8GB enough?

I would not recommend buying a PC that you want to use for gaming with an integrated GPU. When looking to buy/make a gaming PC, look at the RAM, GPU and CPU. In your case, the CPU could be better, I mean 2.7 ghz isn't bad but some of the latest games require much more CPU speed, the RAM is fine and I do not agree with the graphics card. In my opinion, I would not consider it a gaming PC by far. Just a suggestion, an i3, nVidia GTX 550 and 6 GB of RAM could be considered a gaming PC as it will allow you to run some of the latest games like Battlefield 3 etc...

Good luck...

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

Queen-Mise

1. What is your budget? € upto 1000

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Gaming - Minecraft, MW, Assassins Creed

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? None - as the PC in the sitting room will be staying there. Also it is a Santa present - so it has to seem new (the last Santa year).

5. Do you need a monitor? Yes

5a. If yes, what size do you need. At least 22" if possible.


6. Do you need any of these peripherals? I'll need the keyboard, mouse... I have speakers here.

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No] - I can't give an answer to this as I don't know what overclocking is.

8. How can you pay? Visa - if that is the easiest.

9. When are you purchasing? ASAP - I like having XMAS sorted early.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? Carlow

theteal

Queen-Mise wrote: »

Price wise - I am going to have to get everything, as in, a computer table & chair for his room, the monitor also. I'd spend upto 1000 if I HAD to - if I was pretty guarenteed the PC would be good enough for the next 4/5 years.

from my limited knowledge i'm thinking you could put together a proper i5, 7850 gaming rig for €700-€800 that would more than meet your needs for that kind of period. Such a machine would possibly be overkill for an 11 yr old though

Alexidium

Oh and another suggestion, I would not buy a 2 in 1 PC for gaming. What I mean is, the monitor and hardware are in one build. Consider a Samsung monitor as they are good value, a medium tower for your hardware. Towers are not that expensive. Oh and one more big suggestion, if you can try buying the parts off the internet, it comes out much cheaper.

Alexidium

Queen-Mise wrote: »

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No] - I can't give an answer to this as I don't know what overclocking is.

Basically means making certain hardware work beyond its limits. Very risky as heat comes in to play.

Queen-Mise

theteal wrote: »

from my limited knowledge i'm thinking you could put together a proper i5, 7850 gaming rig for €700-€800 that would more than meet your needs for that kind of period. Such a machine would possibly be overkill for an 11 yr old though

It is definite overkill - I know that.:D I want a PC that will be good enough for the next 3/4 years though.

I can always put an 8 euro keyboard & mouse - there is no problem buying better ones in time. I can get him wireless joy-pads in time also. It is the hard-drive that is the most important though.

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

Alexidium

Queen-Mise wrote: »

It is definite overkill - I know that.:D I want a PC that will be good enough for the next 3/4 years though.

I can always put an 8 euro keyboard & mouse - there is no problem buying better ones in time. I can get him wireless joy-pads in time also. It is the hard-drive that is the most important though.

Why hard drive?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Caviar-SATAIII-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349948116&sr=8-1

Pretty cheap and more than enough memory.

Andy!!

Guys, sometimes it's best not to suggest to someone that they build themselves! :P

While I wouldn't neccesarily suggest that you build yourself, it is a gift, and if you aren't into this stuff, and depending on the age of your son, then I would say just buy one pre-made. But at the same time stay away from a PC like that one you linked to, it's not going to be able to play games at all.

Komplett.ie are a good site for this kind of stuff. But their search is currently borked. Pixmania gave me this, the only thing within your budget, but you'd have to get a screen too then keep in mind.

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/9267184/art/sedatech/pc-multimedia-intel-i3-21.html

It's not an amazing machine to be honest, but will do the trick. It has an i3 processor, which they even put in Alienware PC's these days, so it will play games for a few years, just maybe not at very high spec.

There's lots of pre-built PC options on the favoured website for PC builders; just figure out your budget when you include the cost of a screen.

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/538/Desktop-PC.search?rp=0

Plenty of choice there. The only thing with those guys is, it might come with the processor cooler not installed in the machine to avoid damage during shipping. Plus you'll need to arrange for a keyboard yourself.

This is decent, but over 100 euro over your budget before a screen/keyboard. It is a Dell, which will get much hate from this part of boards.ie :P But it is a decent machine.

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=d00x8505&model_id=xps-8500&c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&

Other than that, keep an eye out on Aldi and Lidl specials. If they still have PC's sometimes, not seen them in a while. These machines are quite often pretty good for gaming.

If you have any further questions feel free to ask There is also the option of having that website that is favoured by PC builders actually build you a PC if you give them a list that we make you, it will cost an extra 20. But then the processor cooler will probably definitely arrive uninstalled.

Queen-Mise

Alexidium wrote: »

Why hard drive?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Caviar-SATAIII-Internal/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349948116&sr=8-1

Pretty cheap and more than enough memory.

Sorry getting my terms mixed up - I meant the hardware (box, cpu, etc.)

Alexidium

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GAMING-COMPUTER-3-6GHZ-BULLDOZER-GeForce/dp/B005I3FZZY/ref=sr_1_21?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349948690&sr=1-21

Seems a good choice and the price is okay too

Genghiz Cohen

On the build side of things.
It's a lot of fun (to me) you could save it for christmas day and try to build with him. If you are not comfortable with that you could get the place you're buying from to build it (€20), or, since I live in Carlow town, I could do it.

Alexidium

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

On the build side of things.
It's a lot of fun (to me) you could save it for christmas day and try to build with him. If you are not comfortable with that you could get the place you're buying from to build it (€20), or, since I live in Carlow town, I could do it.

I love doing the build. Can't wait to start my own one again. I study this stuff so it easy for me but for those that are new to this it can be intimidating.

ED E

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

On the build side of things.
It's a lot of fun (to me) you could save it for christmas day and try to build with him. If you are not comfortable with that you could get the place you're buying from to build it (€20), or, since I live in Carlow town, I could do it.

Building it on the day could be super cool(its just like lego), but in the off chance a part was DOA the disappointment wouldnt be worth risking.


OP: Order from HWVS but getn them to build it for you as Genghiz said. Best way to go about it.


PS: I think this whole forum would love you for a mother

marco_polo

Right can't let this thread get to three pages without a build being posted , with the building and shipping about €40 extra this would come to roughly €790 delivered, the main problem with this build is that Hardwareversand are almost completely out of FM2 parts at the moment, so please don't run out and order just yet. All it lacks is a Kb & M, and possibly a wireless card if required.

If nothing else it is a good indicator of how far 700-800 will go at HWVS. And if stock doesn't come back soon you could absolutely swap in an intel i3 board and processor for roughly the same price and performance.

There is a seperate product item you pop in the basket for them to build it for your, but I can't for the life of me find it this morning


Item|Price
BitFenix Merc Beta|€32.19
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€43.33
ASRock FM2A75 Pro4|€74.76
AMD A10 5800K Black Edition mit AMD Radeon HD 7660D Grafikeinheit, Box, FM2|€115.25
8GB-Kit G-Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9|€33.48
PowerColor Radeon HD 7850|€167.66
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1TB|€69.29
ASUS DVD-RW|€19.03
Acer LED 21.5"|€109.00
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit|€82,36
Total|€749.16

Alexidium

marco_polo wrote: »

Right can't let this thread get to three pages without a build being posted , with the building and shipping about €40 extra this would come to roughly €790 delivered, the main problem with this build is that Hardwareversand are almost completely out of FM2 parts at the moment, so please don't run out and order just yet. All it lacks is a Kb & M, and possibly a wireless card if required.

If nothing else it is a good indicator of how far 700-800 will go at HWVS. And if stock doesn't come back soon you could absolutely swap in an intel i3 board and processor for roughly the same price and performance.

There is a seperate product item you pop in the basket for them to build it for your, but I can't for the life of me find it this morning


Item|Price
BitFenix Merc Beta|€32.19
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€43.33
ASRock FM2A75 Pro4|€74.76
AMD A10 5800K Black Edition mit AMD Radeon HD 7660D Grafikeinheit, Box, FM2|€115.25
8GB-Kit G-Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9|€33.48
PowerColor Radeon HD 7850|€167.66
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1TB|€69.29
ASUS DVD-RW|€19.03
Acer LED 21.5"|€109.00
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit|€82,36
Total|€749.16

Although I am an Intel fan, the above is pretty damn good. Great effort.
Thanks for the .de website...i will surely order some stuff from there from now on...
On a side note, how the hell do you THANK people? I can't seem to find it. I know noob right. hahaha

Genghiz Cohen

Let battle commence!

Item|Price
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€27.68
ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP, Sockel 1155, ATX|€79.79
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (SB-Version)|€82.36
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€54.99
ASUS DRW-24B5ST bare|€19.39
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€69.29
Intel Core i5-3450 Box, LGA1155|€167.88
HIS HD 7850 GDDR5 1024MB DVI/HDMI/2xMini DP|€167.98
BitFenix Merc Beta|€32.19
Dell UltraSharp U2312HM|€196.35
Logitech G400 Gaming Mouse|€30.73
Cherry Stream XT Evolution Black UK-Layout|€16.92
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€964.54

So that's everything you need.
Plus that monitor is really really nice. I have one, ShadowHearth has 2.


EDIT: Whip down to Currys or the like and spend €20 on a set of headphones, you'll thank me at 2 in the morning.

-( i )- Wicker

Andy!! wrote: »

Other than that, keep an eye out on Aldi and Lidl specials. If they still have PC's sometimes, not seen them in a while. These machines are quite often pretty good for gaming.

I'd also recommend keeping an eye out for the Medion PC's that Aldi gets, they're usually very good for the price. They come without a monitor though.

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

marco_polo

Alexidium wrote: »

Although I am an Intel fan, the above is pretty damn good. Great effort.
Thanks for the .de website...i will surely order some stuff from there from now on...
On a side note, how the hell do you THANK people? I can't seem to find it. I know noob right. hahaha

I'd usually stick in an i3 and say upgrade to an i5 later, but if it is something that we don't want to touch again for 3-4 years is which I just ever so slightly edge in favour of the A10.

Noobs can't thank , so I just thanked your post in order to taunt you. I think there is there a minimum number of posts before you can do it but I am not sure what that is. One day you will start to see a thumbs up buttons beside the reply/edit ones.

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Let battle commence!

So that's everything you need.
Plus that monitor is really really nice. I have one, ShadowHearth has 2.


EDIT: Whip down to Currys or the like and spend €20 on a set of headphones, you'll thank me at 2 in the morning.

Touché. Not bad sir, not bad at all

Andy!!

Alexidium wrote: »

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GAMING-COMPUTER-3-6GHZ-BULLDOZER-GeForce/dp/B005I3FZZY/ref=sr_1_21?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349948690&sr=1-21

Seems a good choice and the price is okay too

I would go with this one. Bonus points for looking awesome, lets remember guys the kid is only 11. Not sure where we're getting these 2AM mornings from!!

marco_polo

Andy!! wrote: »

I would go with this one. Bonus points for looking awesome, lets remember guys the kid is only 11. Not sure where we're getting these 2AM mornings from!!

It does come without windows and a monitor though which would push it from €570ish by another 200 or so.

Andy!!

Ooh, didnt notice the lack of windows. Shame.

Genghiz Cohen

Andy!! wrote: »

Not sure where we're getting these 2AM mornings from!!

Minecraft doesn't care how old you are. Minecraft is nice like that.

Keep in mind, I'll be happy to build whatever you order. It's like a hobby.